William w



(No Model.)

W. W. ANDERSON.

CLASP.

Patented Jan. 10, 1 893.

aim.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM W. ANDERSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CLASP.

SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 489,781, dated January 10, 1893.

Application filed May 14, 1892. Serial No. 433,016. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. ANDER- SON, acitizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clasps; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention is especially directed to improving the construction of clasps or slides with the View of making them of as little bulk as possible relative to the webs which they hold, at the same time insuring the necessary strength, and with the further object of making the device as smooth exteriorly as possible and preventing the catching or tearing of garments by it.

This invention is in the nature of an improvement of the clasp set forth and patented to me in Letters Patent No. 266,948 and is designed to overcome certain difficulties encountered in the use and operation of said patented clasp, especially the tendency in the latter to accidentally release the web from the rear or permanentholder when the front clamp jaw is depressed at its rear end.

WVith such objects in view my invention consists in the combination with web holding devices of a certain character comprising a spring jaw lever which is operated to release its web by depressing its rear end of a web holding lever specially formed to permanently hold the end of a web and to presenta smooth or flush surface the latter lever being operated to release its web by an upward movement, which movement cannot be imparted to it by the thumb pressure which operates the spring j aw lever.

I may here state that I do not broadly claim a lever forming the permanent web holder and covering the end of the Web, such device having been heretofore proposed and constructed.

In order to make myinvention more clearly understood I have shown in the accompanying drawings means for carrying the same into practical effect.

In said drawings--Figure l is a perspective View; enlarged, of aclasp or slide embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same.

Referring to the drawings: 1 indicates the main plate of the slide or clasp. This is formed of malleable sheet metal having at its front end a jaw 20 and at its sides cars 21 of the ordinary character and having at its sides near one'end turned-up ears 2 provided with bearing apertures 3.

4: is a lever web-holder provided with lateral pivot projections 5 adapted to fit the bearings 3 and upon which the holder can be turned to clamp or release the web which latter is indicated at 6. The web holder has a rear flange 7 provided with teeth which engage and secure the web against the main plate, and with a front flange 8 Whichis of the same depth as the rear flange and, when the holder is in its normal or closed position, bears upon the main plate and covers the end of the web. The holder is so shaped that it corresponds and is flush with the ears 2, leaving no projection of any kind to catch or tear the garment or other article.

12 is a spring jaw lever adapted to engage with said jaw 20, mounted in the usual manner on pivots in the ears 21, and having a rearwardly extending operating arm 22 the I rear end of which is bent down as shown at 19.

It will be observed that by the combination of this particular form of lever web holder with the clasp having the spring jaw 12, the entrance, as it may be called, to the rear end of the clasp beneath the flaar end of the spring jaw is obstructed so that there is no opportunity for any portion of the wearers garments to catch beneath said spring jaw and be torn. Such accidents are frequent with the ordinary form of device and render the use of these articles objectionable. Moreover any pressure upon the top of the rear end of the lever web holder 4 only tends to close the holder upon the web and does not tend to open the holder and release the web. Therefore if in operating the spring actuated jaw by pressing downward upon its rear end any accidental pressure is communicated to the web holder 4, it will have no tendency to permit the web to slip out as will be theoase in other forms of clasps heretofore devised by myself in which a spring actuated web holder is combined with a spring actuated jaw. The present form of clasp is far superior and at the same time permits the ready disengagement of the web when it is desired to replace it by a new one.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

In a clasp the combination of a plate I having its front end turned up to form a jaw 20, its sides turned up to form ears 21 and ears 2 having bearings 3 at their upper outer corners, the spring actuated jaw 12 mounted in said ears 21, and operated by downward press- In testimony whereof I affix my signature in 20 the presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM W. ANDERSON.

\Vitnesses:

MORNAY WILLIAMS, WARREN E. BERRY. 

